Door retainer



Patented Apr. 13, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST a. MITCHELL, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

DOOR RETAINER. i

Application filed Apri1 27, 1923. Serial No. 635,065.

' ment of engaged. metallic parts as will cause with my invention;

noise.

-A further object of this invention isto provide a relatively simple and inexpensive form of door retainer which shall include'a novel construction of sound dampening supporting elements for the spring socket 'of the door retainer, whereby the door shall not only be yieldingly held in a closed position but which shall also prevent a metal-tometal engagement between certain relative movable parts and thus prevent the possibility of objectionable noise under conditions of use.

These objects and other advantageous ends I attain as hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of one element of-a door retainer constructed in accordance Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1; I

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 33, Fig. 2; 1

igs. 4 and 5 are respectively a front ele- .vation and a .plan of the secondelement in my door retainer;

Fig. 6 is a'vertical section on the line 6-6, Fig. 4; and, y

Fig. '7 is a perspective, view showing the first element of my door retainer in partly assembled form.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive and Fig.7, the main portion of the body of my door retainer consists of a sheet metal structure in the form of a box or casing 1 of generally .rectan lar sectionhaving an exa bottom 6 lying in the plane at right angles to the back and to the ends 5. The front or extended side 2 and the top 3, which are both of the same length, project be 0nd the ends 5 and form face plates for the ox body which is designed to be set into a suitable re cess or rabbet in a door frame. The extended side 2 has an opening or recess 7 extending downwardly therein from the top and said opening also extends into the extended top 3 as indicated at 8.

Within the box proper are mounted two similar rubber blocks 9-9spaced a art and having their adjacent faces provide respectively with two guards of metal. These two guards constitute what will be termed a guard means and this is preferably in the form of a single substantially U-shaped strip 11. The guard means is peculiar in that it is supported by the rubber blocks 9 in such a way that it is bodily movable upward, or down,or laterally, or in any direction parallel with the cover plate 2. Preferably it'is so carried by the blocks that its edges as well as its outwardly turned ends are disengaged from and cannot contact with any part of the metallic box 1. The sides of the U-shaped guard strip are substantial 1y parallel and constitute a socket designed to receive a projecting lug 12' which is mounted upon or formed integral with a plate 13 fastening to the edge of a door.

This structure 1213 is preferably made of a sheet metal stamping and the lug 12 is rounded at its ends being made of such length and width as to closely fit between and be immovably held by the parallel sides 1 or arms of the U-shaped guard strip 11, when the door on which it is carried has understood that the distance between the adjacent face of the sides or arms of the guard strip 11 is somewhat less than the width of the lug 12 so that some'force isrequired to enter it. When so forced between the arms of the guard strip 11 and hence between the blocks 9--9, the latter are compressed and through said guard strip frictionally grip and hold the lug to the door to which it is attached, so that rattling of the latter is prevented. At the same time, owing to the act that the ends of the guard strip 11 do not make metallic engagement with any part ofthe box structure, the strip is free to move slightl u ward, or downward or laterally with-t e ug 12 and door without causing the surface of the door jamb or frame is also permitted within narrow limits as permitted by the elasticity or resiliency of the blocks. It is to be understood that a motor vehicle door may have one or more of the above retaining devices applied to it so that when closed it will be immovably yet yield-- ingly held without rattling or causing ob jectionable noise under the conditions existing during the operation of the vehicle.

It is to be understood that without departing from my invention, I may mount the rubber blocks 9 with the s ring or guard strip 11 in a door pillar wit a cover structure consisting merely of the side 2 and top 3 but omitting the back 4:,ends 5-5 and the bOttOm 6.

p I claim':

1. In a door retainer, two opposed resilient blocks adapted to lie in a recess in a door frame. and to receive-a door retaining lug between them, and metallic guard means perpendicular to the face of the door frame and fitting the opposed surfaces of the two blocks, the said metallic guard means being sugported entirely by the blocks with its s out of contact with any other part of the retainer so as to be bodily movable by the retaining lug in any direction parallel with the said face of the door frame within the limits of resiliency of the blocks.

- 2. .A door retainer consisting of a supporting structure; two blocks of yielding material mounted therein and spaced apart; metallic guard means mounted on said yielding blocks and completely disengaged from the supporting structure, whereby they are movable to a slight extent in any direction as permitted by the resiliency of the blocks with a In formed to enter between said yielding bfimks and be frictionally held by the guard means thereon.

3. In a door retainer, the combination of a box-like supporting structure, two opposed rubber blocks fitting the supporting structure on-all except their adjacent sides, metallic guard means for the blocks of less width and less length than the blocks and supported by the said adjacent sides of the blocks so asto be entirely out of engagement .with the retaining structure and therefore movable to a slight extent in any direction relatively thereto as permitted by the resiliency of the blocks, and a lug adapted to enter between the blocks into frictional engagement with the guard means.

4. The combination in a door retainer of a box-like supporting structure; two rubber blocks mounted therein and spaced apart; a-

guard structure comprising a substantially U-shaped body of strip material having its 'arms respectively engaging and carried solely by said rubber blocks independently of and disengaged from the supporting box structure, whereby it is movable to a slight extent in any direction as permitted by the resiliency of the blocks; with a plate having a lug formed to pass into the box structure between the rubber blocks into frictional engagement with the arms of the guard strucpiece and shaped to engage the flared ends and enlarged end ofthe guard piece and hold it clear of the supportin lug less in width than t e opening 1n the structure; and a a su porting structure and formed to engage the U-shaped guard piece. a

7 ERNEST R. MITCHELL. 

